| strain 1 (str v. strained, strain·ing, strains v.tr. 1. To pull, draw, or stretch tight: strained the sheets over the bed. 2. To exert or tax to the utmost: straining our ears to hear. 3. To injure or impair by overuse or overexertion; wrench: strain a muscle. 4. To stretch or force beyond the proper or legitimate limit: strain a point. 5. Physics To alter (the relations between the parts of a structure or shape) by applying an external force; deform. 6. a. To pass (gravy, for example) through a filtering agent such as a strainer. b. To draw off or remove by filtration: strained the pulp from the juice. 7. To embrace or clasp tightly; hug. v.intr. 1. To make violent or steady efforts; strive hard: straining to reach the finish line. 2. To be or become wrenched or twisted. 3. To be subjected to great stress. 4. To pull forcibly or violently: The dog strained at its leash. 5. To stretch or exert one's muscles or nerves to the utmost. 6. To filter, trickle, or ooze. 7. To be extremely hesitant; balk: a mule that strained at the lead. n. 1. a. The act of straining. b. The state of being strained. 2. a. Extreme or laborious effort, exertion, or work. b. A great or excessive pressure, demand, or stress on one's body, mind, or resources: the strain of managing both a family and a career. 3. A wrench, twist, or other physical injury resulting from excessive tension, effort, or use. 4. Physics A deformation produced by stress. 5. An exceptional degree or pitch: a strain of zealous idealism. [Middle English streinen, from Old French estreindre, estrein-, to bind tightly, from Latin stringere; see streig- in Indo-European roots.] |
| strain 2 (str n. 1. The collective descendants of a common ancestor; a race, stock, line, or breed. 2. Any of the various lines of ancestry united in an individual or a family; ancestry or lineage. 3. Biology A group of organisms of the same species, having distinctive characteristics but not usually considered a separate breed or variety: a superior strain of wheat; a smooth strain of bacteria. 4. An artificial variety of a domestic animal or cultivated plant. 5. A kind or sort: imaginings of a morbid strain. 6. a. An inborn or inherited tendency or character. b. An inherent quality; a streak. See Synonyms at streak. 7. a. The tone, tenor, or substance of a verbal utterance or of a particular action or behavior: spoke in a passionate strain. b. A prevailing quality, as of attitude or behavior. 8. Music A passage of expression; a tune or an air. Often use in the plural: melodic strains of the violin. 9. a. A passage of poetic and especially lyrical expression. b. An outburst or a flow of eloquent or impassioned language. [Middle English strene, from Old English str |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| Noun | 1. | elbow grease, exertion, effort, travail, sweat - use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion" |
| 2. | straining - the act of distorting something so it seems to mean something it was not intended to mean falsification, misrepresentation - a willful perversion of facts | |
| Adj. | 1. | straining - taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance; "his final, straining burst of speed"; "a strenuous task"; "your willingness after these six arduous days to remain here"- F.D.Roosevelt effortful - requiring great physical effort |
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